There is no escaping the fact that the war in the Middle East has triggered a global energy crisis.

But could it also spark a water crisis? After fuel, water is emerging as a strategic and critical target.

The Middle East is one of the driest regions in the world and desalination – turning seawater into drinking water – is vital for people and agriculture across Israel and the Gulf countries. Any attack on this infrastructure could have serious consequences.

To understand what is at stake, UN News’s Nathalie Minard spoke to Ziad Khayat, who is a senior official specialising in sustainable development with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. 

Ongoing war in the Middle East, along with ongoing attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, has underscored just how vulnerable maritime routes are – and the potentially deadly consequences for those needing lifesaving assistance, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

Trade and energy markets are already feeling the strain, with potentially severe consequences - particularly for developing countries. There are growing concerns that continued escalation could trigger the largest disruption in the history of the global oil market.

UN News’ Nancy Sarkis spoke with Frida Youssef, Chief of the Transport Section at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), about the crisis in the Gulf.

As the world marks the International Day of Happiness on 20 March, researchers warn that in an increasingly digital and uncertain world, young people’s well-being is shaped as much by social connection as by the economic headwinds they face.  

Dr Robert Waldinger of Harvard University – who leads one of the longest-running studies in history focused on human well-being – emphasises that while pleasure matters, lasting happiness comes from meaning, relationships and a sense of belonging. 

In an interview with UN News’ Nargiz Shekinskaya, Dr Waldinger urges people to engage more authentically online and offline. Stronger human connections remain key to improving well-being for the generations to come, he says. 

How is the Middle East crisis affecting countries far beyond the region?

In Nepal, more than 1.7 million migrant workers are employed across Gulf countries, and remittances form a vital part of the economy. Disruptions to travel, rising costs and growing insecurity are already having a major impact.

UN News’s Vibhu Mishra spoke with Numan Özcan, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director for Nepal, who explained the dangers facing workers and their families.

Afghans are being pushed from crisis to crisis as instability across the region deepens an already severe humanitarian emergency, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned.

In an interview with UN News, spokesperson Babar Baloch said many returning from neighbouring countries are not finding safety, but instead facing bombardment from Pakistan, displacement and growing hunger.

Women and girls are among the hardest hit, while funding shortages are limiting the humanitarian response.

Stressing that “this is not the time to look away”, Mr. Baloch spoke to our producer Anshu Sharma who’s based in Delhi, calling for urgent international support to meet rising needs and prevent further suffering.

After three weeks of escalating violence in Lebanon, children are paying the highest price. More than 830,000 people have been displaced – including around 290,000 children – with many forced to flee their homes in panic as Israeli airstrikes continue.

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), many families fled with nothing - no clothes, toys or schoolbooks - spending hours trapped in traffic while explosions echoed around them.

Despite the mounting challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency assistance.

Christophe Boulierac, UNICEF Lebanon’s Chief of Advocacy and Communication, told UN News’ Nancy Sarkis that many youngsters are showing signs of severe anxiety after years of repeated crises. 

Rising Islamophobia is a serious global concern that requires a collective international response focused on education and combating misinformation about Islam, says the UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia. 

Speaking to UN News ahead of the International Day to counter the scourge marked on 15 March, Miguel Moratinos warned that incidents are increasing in several regions, particularly in Europe, but also in Asia, Africa and the Sahel. 

The trend, he said, reflects growing polarisation and the politicisation of Muslim communities in some countries.

Mr. Moratinos – who also serves as High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations – told UN News’s Khaled Mohamed that respecting religious diversity and combating discrimination are essential to fostering peaceful coexistence.

Lebanon is facing a “perfect storm of unpredictable challenges” as escalating conflict, mass displacement and shrinking humanitarian resources collide, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Imran Riza, told UN News. 

Mr. Riza described a rapidly deteriorating situation in which civilians, particularly children, are paying the highest price.

In just over a week, around 700,000 people have registered as displaced through Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs, while schools across the country have been turned into shelters, disrupting education for thousands of children.

Speaking to UN News’ Reem Abaza, he warned that the humanitarian response is struggling to keep pace as funding declines and regional support weakens. 

The UN World Food Programme – WFP – has spoken of its relief that the closure of a key crossing point for aid and commercial supplies to Gaza has reopened after being shut, when Israeli and US bombs began hitting Iran.

Speaking from Jerusalem, WFP’s Country Director in Palestine, Shaun Hughes, described how chronic constraints on aid delivery have kept humanitarian assistance at a “hand-to-mouth” level across the war-shattered enclave.

To illustrate that point, Mr. Hughes explained that WFP has just two weeks’ worth of half rations available for 1.5 million Gazans, after being forced to cut the full ration in January. “We'd like to get [rations] back up to 75 per cent, but with the level of food that we're getting in at the moment, that seems unlikely,” he told UN News’s Daniel Johnson.

The crucial Strait of Hormuz global shipping corridor marking the entrance to the Persian Gulf, is essentially closed due to the threat of strikes from Iran and elsewhere 

After a tugboat assisting another vessel in the strait this morning was struck killing at least four seafarers, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, told UN News on Friday that the situation was “deteriorating” and urged ships to avoid navigating in the region. 

The international shipping and seafarer security chief told Edouard de Bray that Member States need to “find solutions through dialogue in order to de-escalate” to restore free and safe passage.